Larger Voices Call
by Okamichu
Summary: An adventure set in a mystery-dungeon based gijinka world, following the tales of a Zoroark and Lucario as they seek out ancient mysteries and current troubles.
1. Serenity

Author's Note: This is just a random little doodle-write I've started. These are gijinka, not pokemon fully, so the way you'll notice their species will rely on their clothes and abilities. The world itself will probably go into deeper detail in following chapters. Enjoy, R&R if you'd like. It's got some stuff that needs to be worked out, I'm sure. Writing at five in the morning isn't a good idea.

Rated for language and violence in future chapters.

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><p>A lot of time passed for her in the moments underwater, it seemed. Perhaps it was merely a few seconds or minutes-she could not honestly say. She was aware of bubbles that floated around her, of her serenity as she fell deeper and deeper into the salty water. She felt stinging in her eyes, felt herself slipping away.<p>

_So, this is death. _She calmly thought, not wanting to ruin the tranquility of the moment with gasping gulps of water or flailing motions. She did not remember panicking or struggling or even trying to reach the surface. Just the peace as the eternally blue waters allowed her to accept her fate with dignity.

It was decidedly dream-like. She felt the edges of her vision blacking out, so she closed her eyes. A peaceful way to go, at least.

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><p>The young man sitting on the beach was unequivocally upset. It was a potent mixture of anger and sadness…and his emotions, as usual, had overwhelmed him. He brushed his black bangs from his face and scowled, hunching over even more. His skin was a dark brown, tan from sitting so long under the sun. He had taken his shirt off and tossed it in the sand beside him. His muscular body was tense with his emotional angst, his red eyes glinting in the setting sun.<p>

"I'm no good." He put his head in his hands and grimaced. His own emotions were sickening his sensitive Aura powers. "How weak does a Lucario-guy gotta be?" Sighing, the young man flopped onto the sand and watched the multicolored evening time clouds to soothe himself. His face was lean and angular, but unmistakably handsome. He used his blue coat and cream colored undershirt as a pillow for his head as he let the sound of the ocean waves calm him down.

The washing of the waves against the shore reminded him of how his Aura powers often worked. He was susceptible to every living thing's emotions, and when they hit him, they hit him like a wave. The buzz of the emotion could vary from making him slightly rowdy to mildly depressed to chirpy. He made a face and snorted, "I'm an unwilling empath."

An unusual amount of serenity poured over him as he lay there, listening to the waves. It was…atypical of the water to calm him so much. He sat up-was there someone here directly manipulating his Aura?

His quick scan of the area brought his eyes to a body limply laying in the foaming waves, drenched wet from the water and apparently dead. He froze in fear and battled with himself. Should he even dare approach? Wasn't that type of thing an exploration team's job-to rescue the hurt and injured and find the missing and…he scowled at his weakness. This emotional failure was the sort of thing that prevented him from being any good at anything-it had brought him here in the first place! He got up and ran through the sand, his black boots making soft thudding noises as a wake of sand was left behind him. His thick blue pants were slightly baggy, rippling in the breeze.

The body was…his breath was stolen as he gazed upon the peaceful, surely dead, body of a woman. Her skin was a striking bronze color, smooth and unblemished and beautiful. She had a sharp, angular jaw and strong cheekbones. Her hair was vividly red, with a few black bits that had obviously been dyed. Her full lips were parted just slightly in her repose. A few water droplets hung dangerously onto them, clinging with all they could to the surface skin. Her eyes were shut in a way that was sleep and at the same time too peaceful even for that. A bit of red kohl was smudged around her eyes, giving her exotic aire even more potency. Her soaked clothes clung to her incredibly svelte figure. The white shirt laced loosely around her bust, and tight-fitted brown pants and boots made him wonder if she had been a sort of sailor.

She looked very dead.

He frowned and against his better judgment tilted her chin up, put his lips to hers, pinched her straight, sharp nose and forced air into her lungs. He tried it several times before suddenly the woman sat straight up, pushing him off before throwing seawater up onto the sand.

She coughed and grabbed her throat with one of her elegant hands before balancing herself on her knees, her surprisingly toned body taught with surprise. "How…" Her voice was husky and cracked, "How did I get here?" Her eyes, the Lucario-youth noticed, were brilliant blue-green in color, the almond shaped irises giving her features balance, making her incredibly beautiful. She turned her head, long, thick hair moving with the motion, "Who are you?" She coughed again and dry-heaved, going down on all fours with the strong motion.

The young man smiled cautiously, trying to give off the vibe that he wasn't a threat. He could feel sharp confusion coming from the woman. He said soothingly, "You can call me Anders. I found you here on the beach. I thought you were drowned. Who are you?" He rubbed her back tentatively until she seemed to be finished trying to vomit up a small ocean.

The woman leaned back and sat on her knees, examining Anders more intently. He felt her confusion suddenly vanish, replaced by meditative serenity. Her face was an unreadable mask as she regarded him.

Her husky voice said gently, "You may call me Serena. I am a Zoroark-woman of a people from across the sea. I…" She looked around cautiously, "Have lost my bastard sword." She touched her temple and flinched, "I have a headache, and honestly, I cannot tell you anymore. Why I am here is a mystery, why I was nearly dead is a mystery." Serena studied Anders for a minute, "All I am sure of is my name, my race, the fact I have lost my sword, that I have nearly drowned, and that a man named Anders has prevented my death." She bowed her head to him, "I am in your debt."

He watched her for a moment before responding, "It's really not a big deal. Anyone would have done the same," He smiled, "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Serena's natural composure seemed to be a comfort to his Aura. She seemed to block out all of Anders' previous emotional turmoil and replace it with more natural-level emotion. He was enjoying her presence.

She picked her words carefully, "Is there…a village near here?"

"Yes. I live near it." Anders replied amiably.

"I must see if any of the other villagers have seen me before. You have not, I take it?"

Anders shook his head. "But," He added with a little forced cheerfulness, "I know my way around town, would you like me to help you?"

Although she seemed reluctant for a moment, Serena grudgingly nodded, her wet hair making a few stringy pieces fall into her face. She calmly brushed them back. "I feel…lost. Do you think this is normal for someone that has lost most of their memory?"

Offering his hand to her, Anders answered as he stood up, "Maybe. I've never lost my memory. I've got a fairly large den, would you like to stay with me until you get back on your feet?" Anders was an unusually caring creature in a world that was usually cruel. He felt concern for this stranger that had washed up on the beach. She was obviously used to being in control of herself and her situations. Her obvious helplessness made him feel obligated to protect her and help her…which was unusual for him. Most of his fellow beings disgusted him with their animalistic emotions, but Serena just...soothed him.

Serena accepted his hand and pulled herself up with little assistance. She was strong, Anders realized. Stronger than he was. "I…feel that I may be able to trust you. After all, you were honorable enough to save my life. Who are you, precisely, Anders?" She asked as he led her down the beach. Anders stopped and picked up his cream-toned button up, slipping it on and doing a few of the buttons. He offered Serena his jacket, but she shook her head.

He bit his lip, "I…I'm a weakling. I can't control my abilities at all. You're the first person I've met that can balance out my Aura reading ability. Most others I've met make my emotions flip around so uncomfortably I'm never able to be myself."

She responded, "Have you ever considered meditation?"

Anders barked a laugh, "Wouldn't help me. I'm no good at stuff like that. Inner peace is just impossible for someone so susceptible to everyone's private emotions."

Serena raised an eyebrow, "I'm afraid I do not understand. But you are my savior, Anders," She yawned and fell in step beside him as they left the beach, "And therefore, I shall not question you overmuch." She and Anders followed a rocky path onto a mountainous, rough patch of land. Two paths split the landscape. One led to village that was nestled in a nearby valley, green and life-filled. The mountainous path continued up to a strange building that ominously loomed over the entire scape. Anders shivered and took the path towards the village, grabbing Serena's arm and pulling her along.

Sometime down the path, Anders ducked off on a barely marked side trail. The rocky turf was difficult to navigate, but he enjoyed the fact that the ocean was so near to the cliffy area.

He found the large rock he was looking for and pushed it out of the way. A rope ladder had been forced into the earth and led down into a mostly open-faced cave inside a cliff. He let Serena go down before him and then started down the ladder, pulling the rock-which was lighter than it looked-back over the tunnel.

Anders finished scurrying down the ladder and turned to examine his home. A small pocket of evening sky was roving on the western side of the cave-where the den was exposed to the elements. For the most part, it was a cozy place, with a fire pit and a large sleeping area and plenty of food and a good view. He sighed and noticed Serena admiring the sky and ocean from the hole in the cliffside.

"Well, this is home sweet home," He spread his arms and laughed happily.


	2. Frusration

Chapter 2's up. I had this one sitting on my computer for a while, actually. I couldn't get any of my editing buds to actually read and do this, so if there are any flaws that I missed on my editing sweeps, I'm sorry, and please point them out to me. Reviewing is always a nice thing to find when you check your email or something. :3 Please and thank you~ Please enjoy!

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><p>Serena waited until she was certain Anders was truly asleep before sitting up and walking over to the cliffside to gaze at the moon. The fire crackled from the pit that held it, oozing warmth through the entire cave-like structure. She sat down on the cliff and let her long legs dangle from the side. She rubbed her chest just under her collar bone, feeling a scar throb unusually. She looked down at it and caught a glimpse of an impressive "x" shaped scar that took up the majority of her left side, curving around her breast and all the way around to her back. She wondered how she had gotten such an impressive mark-and she wondered if it had anything to do with her memory loss. Extreme physical trauma and near-death-by-drowning could probably cause significant damage that her mind simply locked down.<p>

Despite all of her mental blankness, Serena felt very composed. Perhaps she was merely a very calm person by nature and circumstances, no matter how dire, could not ruffle her. It was a good trait to have, she felt. If she did not panic, she would be able to surgically pick apart her situation and find out why she was here. She knew the best place to start would be to ask around villages.

She looked back at Anders, sleeping sprawled out on his little bedroll. He smacked his lips and rolled over, almost as if he was aware she was watching him. He was a kind creature, she could tell. Genuine by nature and eager to help her find what she was looking for. She did not know why he would wish to do so, but she would not stop him.

She turned her vivid gaze to the moon. She felt as though she had a purpose. There was a drive in her that she sensed was from her old self, but what that drive was pushing her to do, she had no idea. She gracefully got up and walked back to the fire, feeling a slight sense of wanderlust.

_Serena. Who is Serena? I am not merely some average being. I am a warrior-a soldier? _She flexed her body and felt her muscles respond happily. She was missing something-she supposed it was the sword that she was aware of losing. If it was important enough that her trauma could not make her forget, it was obvious she had to find it or get a new sword. She gazed into the fire, feeling annoyed that her memory wasn't responding with memories.

"Serena?" Anders' voice made her sit up. She looked around for a moment, realizing she had fallen asleep on the ground by the fire pit. Anders stretched and rubbed a hand through his messy hair, "How are you feeling?"

Serena rubbed her neck, "I have been better, I believe. When will we be able to leave for the village?"

He jumped from his bedroll and slipped on a pair of boots and a shirt, "After breakfast, maybe?" He yawned and said, "We could go down to a bath house and let you shop around for some clothes, if you want. I've-"

Serena stood up and walked over to him, "I do not want new clothes." She motioned to her current clothing, "These are enough. I do not require much maintenance. Do not waste your coin on me."

He shrugged, "I work at a pub down in the village every now and again. Pays pretty well, usually, so you don't have to worry about wasting my money. I'd happily help in any way so you can get your memory back." He laughed, "I'm sure you're going to want more than one set of clothes-it gets boring wearing the same thing, doesn't it?"

She sniffed, "Practicality is better than frivolity. I suppose I should have a spare set of clothes for when I must clean this set. If it will make you happy, we shall shop some. Perhaps I got supplies here…the shop keepers may recognize me."

Anders nodded and picked up a coinpurse and a little bag of food, "Here's some dried meat." He threw a piece to Serena. She snagged it from the air with a blurred motion and nibbled on it idly while she impatiently waited for him to somewhat groom himself. Once Anders was ready to go, she followed him out of his den and listened while he chatted about how the village was such a pleasant place to be, and if it wasn't such a hard place to find a territory in he'd live there, and then she listened to him babble more and more about the interesting people that often blew in-the town was apparently a major stop for travelers.

That thought gave her hope. Perhaps she had visited here previously. It might explain how she ended up on the beach nearby.

They walked in silence for a time. Serena found herself glad for the quiet, enjoying the way the rocky ground suddenly began to shift into a grassy, meadow-like area. The valley was rich and full in contrast to the rugged mountains. The buildings were made of stone and wood, hanging metal signs indicating places of business. Children romped in the streets while their parents worked. Many travelers with beautiful weaponry and armor wandered from store to store, packing their bags, split up into groups that had a brotherly, team-like feel.

One such team was leaving the village as Serena and Anders were drawing near. They raised their hands in greetings, "Ho! Anders, how are you, brother?" The lead man removed his helmet, revealing a face that was vaguely like Anders'. The tall man smiled brightly and said, "Coming down to work today?"

Anders seemed to shrink down in the presence of the powerful, but obviously friendly man. "Oh, well, not today. I'm helping Serena, here" He motioned to where she stood, appearing bored, "Ask around the village about some personal issues. You travel a lot, Callan, have you ever seen her before?"

Callan examined her for a moment. She narrowed her eyes as his eyes lingered too long over her curves. He scratched his black beard and laughed, "I'm afraid not, little brother. Good luck finding whatever it is you're looking for. If you need help, ask me and my boys! See you around, Anders." He put his helm back off and tromped through the woods, dual blades strapped to his back clinking with the movements. His silent companions followed close behind.

"You have a brother?"

"He's a complete tit." Anders scrunched up his face in distaste, "He always likes to rub it in my face that he passed the exam for becoming an exploration team apprentice when we were younger and I didn't. So now I'm sort of like the bum of the family."

A sudden jolt ran through Serena's blood, "Exploration team, you say? What do they do?"

Anders started walking into the village, explaining carefully, "They discover treasures and help injured or lost folks find their way home. Only the best warriors or magic users are ever any good. Some of them take down crime bosses in their personal 'dungeons'. My brother is one of the crime fighters. He's got an ego so big that it just….urk. It doesn't help he can use his aura powers to influence people. He always makes a point to make me feel like he's superior."

Serena almost smiled, "I see this is a sensitive subject." She suddenly looked at the building that Anders was heading towards, "Where are we going?"

"Bathhouse. I feel absolutely disgusting. You need to clean up, too. And they'll wash our clothes while we're in the baths! It's such a nice place."

With an impatient sigh, Serena said, "Very well. But I wish to hurry. I feel as though there is a pressing matter at hand."

Anders rolled his eyes and walked inside, pushing open the door. Steamy warm air escaped as Serena slipped in afterwards, examining the large foyer with her normal deadpan expression. A slender, round-faced woman was sitting at a desk, a large sign in book open in front of her. She was wearing a gauzy blue dress and wore her long, dark blue-black hair in an intricate style, using a hairpiece that resembled fins to hold up parts away from her face. Her eyes were reading over the sign-in book.

"Hey, Lena." Anders tapped the desk.

"Anders! What a pleasant surprise!" Lena purred in a slurring, smooth voice. "What can I do for you today?" She put her hand on her cheek and waited for him to answer.

"Oh, well, I need two sets of clothes washed and then I need two sets of toiletries." He set out the proper amount of money and handed it to the woman that was obviously of a vaporeon bloodline. Serena waited behind Anders, running a hand through her long, unkempt hair and pursing her lips to examine the large building further.

The floor was smooth wood up until it reached two doors that stood across from each other, closed by two heavy curtains. Steam escaped from above the walls that came from each room. Serena guessed that each area was a large bath for each gender. Anders seemed finished flirting with the pretty Lena and he turned around to Serena with a smile.

"Alright, you just go in there and someone will help you out." He handed her a basket with various items that smelled very earthy but clean and pointed her to the door on the right. Serena took the basket and sighed before trudging into the room.

A voluptuous but short woman with thick reddish blond hair was sitting on a chair, reading a leather-bound book. She wore a pretty red dress with no embroidery on it. The woman smiled and said, "Oh, hello! I'm Liza! Are you a new customer? I've never seen you before. What's your bloodline?"

Serena expelled air tiredly, "I am a zoroark." She explained. A 'bloodline' determined what sort of fighting a person might be good at or what type of magic that person could access-Serena remembered that knowledge especially well. She would have guessed this woman was a flareon.

"Oh, your kind are very rare, I hear. Not a lot of them around. When'd you come into town?" The short woman sat her book on the chair and stood up, dusting her outfit off to knock out a few wrinkles.

"Washed up yesterday." Serena shortly said. "Now, what am I supposed to do aside from bathe?"

"Well, I'm guessing you're getting your clothes washed as well. Give them to me and I'll take them and get started on washing them while you just hop in the baths-use the water spouts there for your initial clean up, and then you can soak up in the tubs when you're done scrubbing."

Serena did as she was told and tossed the clothes where Liza directed. She slipped into the bathing room and felt the warm tiles on her bare toes. She slunk over to an open area where water poured from a spout hooked to the wall. A few other women were relaxing in the two large bathtubs and one other was using a spout. Serena, feeling suddenly embarrassed by the other people, scrubbed herself down quickly, hoping the heavy steam would cover her up better than the tiny towel included in her basket of toiletries. Once she had finished, she scurried back to the bathtub and quickly got in the warm water.

One of the women said, "Hello. You new to Crossroads?" She was heavyset and muscular, with short black hair. Serena noticed she was eyeing the massive scar that leapt, shiny white, from her otherwise bronzy skin.

Serena nodded, not feeling like socializing. They obviously had never seen her before. She ran her hands through her heavy hair and tried to remove a few especially bad tangles with her nimble fingers.

The heavy woman continued, "Well, my husband owns a stand for food in the market if you're going to need any food for travels. What brings you to our town?"

She considered for a moment before saying, "I am looking for anyone that may have seen me previously. I…have lost a great portion of my memory. Have you heard anyone mention anyone that might fit my description…or…?"

The woman shook her head, "Sorry, I'm afraid I haven't. You can try with the other shopkeepers, though, they may have seen you."

A shy girl with hair died green and lily white skin spoke up in a dainty voice, "You could also try to ask the Guild Master at the local Explorer Federation Lodge. He's very knowledgeable, I'm sure he'd be able to help identify you." She shrank back as everyone suddenly turned their gaze to her.

Serena thanked her and relaxed in the water, feeling slightly more comfortable. Her waist-length hair floated around her impressively. The women returned to their idle gossip.

After she felt sufficiently clean, Serena removed herself from the water, wrapped up in the second, fluffier towel she had been given and walked out of the tile floored bathing room and into the room that had all the little cubbies where regulars kept their things. Liza called over to her and told her where to find her clothes. Serena finished drying off, slipped on her clothes, ran the brush that came with her basket through her hair and then asked, "Liza, where do I put these things?"

"Well, Anders just said to give you a cubby, so how about…this one." The round woman pointed out an empty little shelf. Serena placed her basket on it and memorized its location before thanking Liza and walking out of the hot room, glad to finally have that part of her day past.

Anders was sitting on a bench near the door, looking impressively handsome in his freshly washed clothes. Serena's own clothes felt much nicer now that they had been taken care of.

"Ready to explore the stores?" She asked coolly. Anders looked up, seeming as though he had been completely zoned out. His eyes widened as he took in her complete presence.

"Er…uh…Yeah. You," He coughed, "You look nice."

Serena raised an eyebrow, "Thank you." She walked outside of the building.

"Goodbye, Lena!" Anders waved his hand at the woman.

She purred, "'Bye, Anders…"

Anders flushed a bit and ran a hand through his slightly damp hair, "Well, let's see…what store do you feel like you'd have most likely gone to?"

"Perhaps a blacksmith's or a travel goods store?" Serena looked over at the series of small buildings that made up the market.

"Well, how about I go check the nearest goods store and you can go to the smithy? We'll meet up there." Anders split up from her and walked into a medium sized building.

A few shop owners were hawking their wares from the streets, calling from beside their stone stores. The familiar ring of a blacksmith's hammer pulled Serena like the moon might pull the tide of the ocean.

She walked into the open forge to see a huge man hammering away at a lithe, gorgeous sword blade . His eyes were burning with fire as he channeled his unnatural strength through each blow, forcing the hot metal into shape. He dipped the blade into water to cool it and sat back for a moment, wiping sweat from his brow. He noticed Serena looking at the various weapons hanging from the stone walls.

The man had black hair and a thick, heavy beard and eyes as red as the fire he worked with. "Greetings!" He called in a booming voice, "What brings you to my humble smithy?"

"A question." Serena said calmly in response.

The smith leaned over his anvil, using his hammer to balance himself, "And the question is?"

She turned to face him, "I was wondering if I have perhaps come into your smithy before." She could almost feel that she had never seen the place before.

Shaking his head, the smith responded, "I'm afraid not. I don't forget my customers." He tugged his beard.

Anders came walking into the smithy with a sack of items. "Oh, hello Master Emmett." He turned to Serena, "No luck there. No Zoroark woman has even set foot in this town before, if I'd have my guess about it."

Disappointment crushed unexpectedly down on Serena. She looked down at the ground, "I have had no luck as well." She felt a strange surge pulse through her body, an alien sensation.

Anders' eyebrows furrowed. He grabbed her shoulder and whispered, "Are you alright? You're almost choking me with that really disappointed feeling…"

She crushed the emotion as though it were some sort of monster, feeling disgust that she had allowed it to surface at all. She looked Anders in the eye and flatly said, "I am merely frustrated. There must be something. We could check the other stores just in case, yes?"

"Of course." Anders seemed perplexed over her sudden void where emotions should have been. Serena did not like the concept of emotions, let alone feeling them. She couldn't even fathom how the poor man functioned when he could feel everyone else's emotions.

Their day was long and unsuccessful. It seemed that Serena had never existed-let alone visit Crossroads. She sat down on a stone bench that was beside a large inn and put her head in her hands with a deep sigh. She felt almost hopeless.

Anders sat down beside her and put his hand comfortingly on her shoulder, "Hey, don't look so down. I'm sure someone's got some kind of lead. We'll figure this out."

Serena rubbed her temple, "I know I should be at least getting small memory jolts-something. But there's nothing here. This is frustrating, to put it lightly." She kept her voice frigid even though her insides were blazing with frustration. She suddenly sat up, "Wait. A girl told me earlier that we could ask the Guild Master at the Explorer Federation questions like this. Do you think we could go there? Do you know where it is?"

He recoiled as if slapped, "Oh. Well. U-um…" He bit his lip and looked away, "I know where it is, I just don't think we'll get in. They can be kind of particular…We may have to be an exploration team…"

Setting her jaw firmly, Serena said, "If it will get my memory back, I will form an exploration team and explore the entire area around this village until I find information. I'll do anything. Anders, you don't understand." She shook her head, "There's something out there I'm supposed to be doing. I have to find what it is."

Anders looked into her eyes for a long time, his expression actually becoming quite guarded and serious. He finally conceded, "Well, let's go to the Lodge. I promise I'll help you find whatever you're looking for." He started walking towards the mountains before stopping. He spun around and clapped his hand over his forehead, "We never went shopping for clothes!"


End file.
